President Michael Kotlikoff acknowledged Student Assembly Resolution 37: “Protecting Immigrant Students” on Monday, while rejecting several of the Assembly’s suggestions and pointing to existing resources for international students.
Resolution 37, which sought to increase protections for immigrant students, passed in the Assembly on March 6 in a room crowded with more than 100 community members gathered to show support for the resolution.
In his acknowledgement of the resolution, Kotlikoff rejected several demands, including implementing mandatory “Know Your Rights” training for all students, faculty and staff, designating certain campus buildings, namely religious spaces, as “exempt” from ICE activity and providing legal assistance to international students facing visa revocations.
The resolution and its acknowledgment from Kotlikoff come amid rising concerns over the safety of international students in the wake of executive orders from the Trump administration. These orders have been the basis for numerous ICE arrests of immigrant students and revocations of student visas across college campuses, including graduate student Momodou Taal, who was told to surrender himself to ICE custody in the middle of a legal battle with the administration.
“Cornell is committed to supporting our immigrant and international community, and to helping mitigate the impact of the ongoing changes to the federal landscape,” Kotlikoff wrote.
In his response, Kotlikoff said that “Know Your Rights” training is, and will continue to be made available, but, “as a general rule, Cornell avoids adding mandatory training for all students, staff, and faculty for whom the information may not be required.”
Further, Kotlikoff explained that the University does not represent individuals in personal legal matters, but directed students to the DACA and undocumented student support office and several immigration clinics run by the Law School.
Kotlikoff also referenced several existing University-run websites, including the Executive Order website, the immigration advice and resources website and international services page.
Adam Vinson ’25, executive vice president of the Assembly and co-sponsor of the resolution, acknowledged the administration’s existing protections for students and expressed hope that it would be enough in a statement sent to The Sun.
“Kotlikoff’s response detailed the many actions that the University is taking to protect international, immigrant, and DACA students,” Vinson wrote. “Those actions are good. However, time will tell whether that alone will be enough.”
The resolution also urged the administration to avoid issuing suspensions to international students that could threaten their visa status. Kotlikoff responded that a student’s immigration status was “not a relevant factor” when considering sanctions and that the University will continue to abide by the Student Code of Conduct.
"We proposed additional protections and were told that it wasn’t necessary. I hope we are wrong,” Vinson wrote.
Kate Turk is a member of the Class of 2027 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is an assistant news editor for the 143rd Editorial Board. She can be reached at kturk@cornellsun.com.
